Scared?
by smellslikechidna
Summary: Ash spends the night in a haunted house. Ghostly japes abound.


Scared? 

Ohayoo! 

Okay, this is a really weird fic, inspired by listening to "Scared" by a1 for 24 hours straight when I went to Oasis with my cousin Becky back in May, and my current obsession with Haunter (KAWAII!).

Usual disclaimer applies, (4KIDS, kiss my English backside – you don't own Pokémon. Nintendo Japan does, so Nya!) and the song "Scared" is copyright of **a1**, and is taken from the album "The A List". So I don't own it, although I have it on Napster and scream it dead loud when no one else is home…

Quote of the month: _"If that is what you wish…"_ ~ Entei, "Spell Of The Unown". DAMN, he was cool!

**_Scared?_**

~o~o~o~o~

**_(What's your favourite scary movie?)_******

~o~o~o~o~

"I just don't get it," pouted Ash, looking at the small ball in his left hand and frowning, "It's just a bug! What harm can a crummy little bug cause?" He tossed the ball up into the air, caught it, and awaited an answer.

Misty shuddered, and backed away slightly from the bug-toting Ash. "I just don't like them," she whined.

"You were like this with Caterpie, and Tracey's Venonat, AND with Heracross! Can't you just give Ledyba a chance?"

"No."

"_WHY_?"

"I don't like bugs! They're one of the-"

"Three most disgusting things in the world apart from carrots and peppers, I know," Ash yawned, "Change the record."

Misty glared, whipped out her mallet, gave Ash a concussion, but also accidentally sending Ledyba's newly acquired Pokéball soaring into the nearest tree, cracking the sphere open, and…

Hundreds of Pidgey and HootHoot fled their nests, thinking the Apocalypse was heralded with Misty's scream.

~o~o~o~o~

**_I've walked the desert, _**

**_Fought a lion with bare hands._**

**_The Prince Of Darkness - _**

**_I'm a far better man!_**__

~o~o~o~o~

"What – IS – _THE_ – **_PROBLEM_**?! It is a **BUG**, not Arbok venom, not Ponyta manure – a BUG!" Ash screamed, calling Ledyba into a spare Pokéball, slamming the ball back onto his belt and glaring daggers at Misty. "How can ANYONE be SCARED of a **_BUG_**?!"

"Back off, Ketchum," retorted Misty, "Everyone's afraid of something,"

"No way. _I_ don't get scared, least of all, not by a BUG." 

"Shut UP!"

"You shut up!"

"You started it!"

"Hey, hey, calm down guys," Finally, Brock put down the popcorn bowl and decided to intervene before the claws came out, "You don't wanna be fighting all day like this."

"She started it!"

"**He** started it by catching that slimy, _disgusting_ bug!"

Ash swung to face her, absolutely furious, and yelled, "What, are you trying to make Ledyba cry like you did to Caterpie?"

Brock frowned, "Ash!" he yelled, "Quit it right now!"

"How come _I_ get the blame? If she wasn't such a fraidy-Meowth, we wouldn't be fighting in the first place!"

"Who're you calling a fraidy-Meowth, huh?"

"YOU, dammit! Brock, see? She won't stop," Ash whined, turning his gaze onto the wannabe Pokémon breeder, who instantly raised his hands in defence, particularly because Misty copied Ash's motions, only she had the manic look in her eyes when she was usually about to either hit someone or reach for one of her internationally-famed weapons.

"Look, um, guys, I think that a) you should sort this out between yourselves because I really can't be bothered, and b) it's gonna rain, so we should find some sort of shelter, okay?"

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Pika!" Pikachu transferred herself from Brock's shoulder over to Ash, who stormed to the front of the group, muttering that he always got the blame for everything; blissfully unaware of the faces Misty was pulling behind his back. Brock followed on behind, wondering why he always got caught in the middle of those two.

~o~o~o~o~

**_I've crossed the desert, never feared for my own_**

**_Where lightning strikes – _**

**_I'll always go!_**

~o~o~o~o~

"Can we eat soon? Please?"

Brock grinned as Ash turned around, walking backwards and staring at Brock with big, brown, puppy-Growlithe eyes. Ash's stomach was something you could set your watch by.

"When we stop, Ash" he replied, sweeping the trees with his eyes (?) for somewhere decent to camp.

"When'll that be?"

"When we _find_ somewhere to stop"

"'kay" sighed Ash, turning back around, before abruptly stopping.

"Ash?" asked Brock, hesitantly, "What's up?"

Raising an arm, Ash indicated a reply. He pointed to the top of an upcoming hill, pushing his hat from his head to get a better view. Misty did the same with her fringe. "Check it out," he whispered, awed, as lightning slashed across the sky with apocalyptic thunder following not a second after, illuminating a jagged, haunting structure, silhouetted against the night as rain finally broke through the heavens and poured down, thoroughly drenching the three trainers and their Pokémon. Ash noticeably shuddered. "Looks… creepy. Haunted… Like in Lavender Town…"

"What's wrong, Ash? You're not scared, are you?" taunted Misty, snidely.

"Priii!" the Demon Egg agreed, wiggling his evil little arms psychotically and giggling childishly.

Ash swung around to face her, stamping his foot on the ground. "I'm not scared, dammit! Quit saying that!"

Brock sighed, shaking his head and wishing for an Aspirin fairy to come down, dressed as a cross between Princess Leia, Gligirl, James and Nurse Joy, before turning and striding up the hill towards the creepy thing.

"Brock!" Ash yelled, as another bolt of lightning lit the sky in a jagged flash, "What the hell are you doing? That place is, uh…" Trailing off, Ash turned his back on Misty, who was grinning as if she _knew_ he was going to say it was haunted. "Never mind." he muttered hastily.

"Haunted or not, Ash," Brock yelled back, as thunder shook the ground violently, "I'd rather risk my chances with the ghosts than listen to you two arguing all night!" then walked off swiftly, leaving Ash staring at his formerly sane friend, then catching up quickly.

"W-wait for us!" he cried, dragging Misty by her wrist.

The place looked even worse up close. Practically every window was broken, the door was hanging off by a hinge, and inside didn't look much better either. In fact, the safest part of the house seemed to be the porch and THAT looked like it was ready to fall apart any second. Brock cautiously took one step forward into the hallway. "Hell-oo? Anybody home?" Another step, and Ash followed, bravely hiding behind Misty and _still_ holding her hand. Brock turned around, scratching his head. "Guess not," he muttered, "Jeez, what a dump…"

Misty was trying to loosen the death grip Ash still had on her wrist, and succeeded, grinning, when she used her free hand to wave her biggest mallet threateningly. Ash backed away, cowering into his jacket.

"So, Mr. Pokémon Master is afraid of a girl, too, huh?" Misty teased, grinning. Brock sighed, and fingered Onix's Pokéball thoughtfully.

"Quit saying that! I'm not afraid of you, or anything else!"

"So why'd you move away?"

Ash muttered something, turning away from her. 

"I didn't hear you," she trilled, tossing the oversized hammer once and slotting it into its invisible storage place.

"Um… You're dangerous. You have, um, weapons. Which hurt."

"So you're scared of them?"

"NO! Broooock, tell Misty to leave me alone! I'm too hungry to argue!" Wailing, Ash ran to the other side of the room, the floor creaking under his footsteps in protest.

"Leave Ash 'lone, Misty" Brock murmured, now preoccupied with lighting a fire using some of the floorboards that were probably from upstairs. "Could you do me a favour, Pikachu? Light this with a Thundershock, please?"

"Chu!" Pikachu grinned, before focusing power into her cheeks. A bright flash of yellow smashed into the pieces of wood, and seconds later, Brock was setting up a tripod.

"Thank you."

"Pi!"

Pikachu turned around and scampered over to where Pikapi was unrolling his sleeping bag, and copied his actions with her own little blanket. Pikapi was scowling in the shadows, frowning when he watched Misty out of the corner of his eye unpack her own bubble-covered bag. Misty glared right back then turned her back to him. He did exactly the same. "Stupid Misty," he muttered, "Thinks she's so smart. I'll show her," he continued. Pikachu sighed. Her Pikapi was silly. Pikachu knew that Pikapi liked Pikachupi. Squinty-one knew that Pikapi liked Pikachupi. The bandana-ed-one knew that Pikapi liked Pikachupi. EVERYONE knew that Pikapi liked Pikachupi.Except, of course, Pikapi and Pikachupi. Humans were silly. If they were Pokémon, all they'd do is sniff each other in, erm, usually un-sniffed areas, rub noses, and if all went well, they'd have babies.

Silly humans.

~o~o~o~o~

**_ _**

**_Eye of the tiger, not afraid to attack_**

**_Left Frankenstein flat on his back_**

**_That witches magic just ain't nothing to see_**

**_'Cos you're the one who cast a spell on me!_**

**_ _**

~o~o~o~o~

Ash had probably set a world record for eating noodles with one chopstick and his fingers. 10.54 seconds, according to Brock's stopwatch. And the bowl was practically bone-dry. Pikachu rolled her eyes and the Egg trilled evilly, as usual. The whole room had a deadly silence, save for the wind and rain howling outside and various leaks in the roof and ceiling. Ash was ignoring Misty and vice-versa, and any efforts of conversation tried by Brock were lost to the air around them, so he gave up and began to drool over "Pokémon Nurse Weekly" which was mainly a _kiddie_ magazine on how to look after Pokémon and what a Joy did of a day in her Centre. Of course, to _Brock_, it was cheap porno.

"D- did you just hear that?" whispered Ash, suddenly, looking frantically around the room, eyes wide.

Brock shook his head, and Misty looked up. "Uh-uh. What was it?"

"I… I dunno… Sounded like scratching…" He gulped. "Maybe… Maybe we should go check it out…" Ash stood up and brushed himself off, Pikachu pulled herself up his leg and onto his shoulder using her claws. "Are-aren't you gonna come with me?" Brock solemnly shook his head. Misty turned her back to him. "O-okay…"

The floor creaked ominously as he paced forwards, switching his torch on and sweeping the glow across the rotten floorboards.

"Here, ghosty-ghosty-ghosty…" he mumbled cautiously, as he turned a corner, stepping over a hole and going further down the derelict corridor. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…" 

The floor looked ready to cave in any minute. Ash paused, shining the flashlight onto the ominous, elegant portraits of long-dead people. "Hellooo?"

~o~o~o~o~

**_If you're looking for danger – here I come_**

**_You better look out, it's just begun_**

**_There's something that I want you to know…_**

~o~o~o~o~

Misty tucked the Demon into his blanket, kissed its evil forehead and wished it sweet dreams. Brock wiped the drool from around his mouth and off the page. The house continued to creak with the wind howling, as rain battered down mercilessly.

"Looks like it'll be a bad night,"

"Yup,"

Conversation ceased for a moment, before a petrified scream came hurtling through the corridors. It was Ash. "HEEEEEELLPPPPP!!!"

"PIIIKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPIIIIIIIIIIII!!"

Misty practically threw herself towards his voice, resembling a redheaded torpedo, before Brock pulled her back by one of her suspenders and got socked in the jaw for his troubles. "Lemme go!" Misty yelled; flailing her hands about, trying to wallop the unfortunate Breeder and release the hold he had on her. "We have to get to Ash!"

"And put the floor through in the process?"

Misty froze, and whimpered as her foot hovered millimetres above the rotten wood. Brock continued. "This place is bad enough as it is, but it's the only thing we have tonight, so come on,"

**_ _**

**_ _**

~o~o~o~o~

**_The one thing that I'm scared of_**

**_Is losing hold of you!_**

**_I get the shivers down my spine,_**

**_Feel my body turning blue_**

**_The feeling is so frightening_**

**_It's driving me insane_**

**_The one thing that I'm scared of…_**

**_Is losing hold of you!_**

~o~o~o~o~

"Ash?" Brock swung his torch across the walls and the floor, tiptoeing gently over the floor, dodging holes and collapsed pieces of masonry, "Are you… okay? Ash, answer me! Come on, Ash. This has gone beyond a joke now! Ash!"

*Creak. Creak*

The yellow, comforting glow of Brock's flashlight began to fade slightly, and he felt Misty cling onto his arm.

A small voice spoke out, "Pikachupi?"

"Pikachu?" asked Misty frantically, peering through the dim to see a silhouetted tail by the window. "Pikachu, are you alright? Where's Ash?"

With fervent paw motions and syllables, Pikachu said that she didn't know, she didn't know where her Pikapi had gone and she was scared that ghosts had gotten him again. **_{I want my Pikapi!}_** she wailed, before curling into a ball at Misty's feet. Misty scooped her up carefully, face blank and eyes staring straight ahead. 

"Brock?"

"Yeah?"

"Give me the torch. Now," she ordered, and strode off down the passage, shining the small tool into each crevice she could see, with confident strides that echoed down the dingy hallway, and being shadowed against the lightning that burst through the windows in fantastic streaks, lighting the corridor in eerie blues and whites. Brock hurried to catch up, shivering slightly as severe, oil-painted frowns glared down at him from their eternal frames, following his every move with their stern, glowering eyes.

*thud*

A muffled voice whispered "damn", something scrabbled about for a brief moment, and then all was suddenly silent again, as wind slammed an old shutter against the window frame.

The near-tangible silence rolling around the house jerked Brock into saying, "Hello? Ash? Is that you? Who's there?". Panicked questions dripped from his lips and echoed around the walls, but no one replied, and not another sound apart from Misty's quick breathing and his own pounding heartbeat was made.

They continued onwards.

Curious shadows detached themselves from the wall and chased the two down the hallway silently and stealthily. Neither Brock nor Misty noticed as the moving darkness copied their every move, nor did the shadows cease in their pursuit. When Brock's torch eventually gave out, and they had searched every available passage Ash might have took, they cautiously picked their way through the bleak, waiting for the next gash of lightning to attack and light the way for a few brief, vital moments. A breeze through an open, devastated window taunted the hair on their necks as three shadows chased their every move. As the shadows gained on them, they moved quicker and quicker until they could see the relative safety of the fire, guarded by Totodile, glinting uniquely off of the walls, and the biggest shadow chased them silently, quicker and quicker until-

"**_BOO!_**"

Misty screamed, Brock grabbed his chest and seized up, Pikachu burst out laughing and Ash collapsed in hysterics on the floor, his shoes hanging redundantly from his left hand by their laces and his socks filthy from creeping around so much.

"You-" he gasped, clutching his sides with hilarity, "You guys should see your faces! Oh boy, that was funny!" Ash slammed his fist onto the rotten wood in an effort to stop his laughter, "You-" A fresh set of chuckles stopped him from continuing, but Misty soon stopped it by practically jumping on top of him, and smacking him one across the jaw. 

"You IDIOT!" she shrieked, shaking Ash by his shirt collar and not caring that the entire right side of his face was now a bright, raw pink, "We looked EVERYWHERE for you! We thought something had happened and you were just kidding around?! I'm gonna kill you, you JERK!"

"No you're not," said Brock smoothly, as he separated them. Ash grinned maliciously, before Brock cracked his knuckles and glowered menacingly. "Because I'M going first," he said coolly, looking sternly at Ash, who was now backing away, pale-faced.   
"H-hey, Brock, come on, don't be hasty now… Brocko? Buddy? Um… heh-heh, gotta go, guys! See ya!" Ash belted it, sprinting down the corridor at a speed that could rival an Arcanine.

"GET BACK HERE, BAKA!" Misty screamed, giving chase. After a nano of 'quiet' thought (on ways to permanently maim and hurt Ash), Brock grabbed Onix's Pokéball and ran down the hall.

~o~o~o~o~

**_The Terminator said he'd never be back_**

**_Fight fire with fire – that's a natural fact!_**

**_Tell me your nightmare – I'll give you my dream_**

**_I will protect you_**

**_Whenever you SCREAM!_**

~o~o~o~o~

"Awww, c'mooooon! Can't you take a joke? I was kidding! It isn't my fault you scream like a girl!"

"I AM a girl, clever-boy,"

"Coulda fooled me."

"Why, you little-"

Pikachu put a warning paw up and sparked her cheeks dangerously close to Ash's grinning face, where Misty's handprint was still very visible. **_{Don't hit my Pikapi again, Pikachupi. You'll regret it,}_** she warned,****scowling, before turning and licking Ash's cheek protectively.

Onix growled lowly from outside the door, not liking the rain one bit, but staying there while listening to Brock's instructions.

Geodude held Ash under the armpit and showed no signs of letting go whatsoever, and Misty swung Ash's belt around her wrist tauntingly, like a kid in a playground, as the lightning flashed, sending her eyes an electric blue and her hair went almost white in the blaze. Finding it hard not to blush, Ash ducked his head under the brim of his hat.

Brock poked his head through the battered doorway. "Right, Misty. Zubat says that there's a good sheltered spot about a minutes walk from here. Get your things. The sooner we leave, the sooner we sleep!"

Watching her every move, Ash noticed that she _still_ had his belt and his Pokémon, and she put it in _her bag_! The nerve! "Hey! Hey, Misty! Gimme my Pokémon back! And get Geodude off me!"

She grinned prettily and shook her head. "Seeing as you like haunted houses so much, Ash, Brock and I thought you should stay here tonight," She shifted the Demon to one arm and continued, "Besides, I thought you weren't afraid of anything, so why should a night in here bother you?" Ash flushed.

"I-it doesn't bother me. I- I- you probably need me around to protect you," he babbled, but then she did the unthinkable – _she slipped her arm in Brock's_!! Noooooo! 

The storm outside seemed to reach a crescendo, as the thunder rocked the earth and deafened Ash for a few moments.

"Oh, that won't matter, Ash," she said smoothly, "I've got Brock to protect me," They turned to leave, and Ash found himself in a struggling match with Geodude, and dangerously close to dislocating both his shoulders, "Sweet dreams, Ashy-boy," Misty said sweetly, and stepped daintily out of the doorway. Onix heaved his thick, fossilized weight to block the only passage big enough to accommodate a 14-year old Trainer and a Pikachu, and Geodude released his grip, and went bounding out of a window, where Ash heard the familiar sound of a recall laser returning the Rock-type Pokémon into his Pokéball.

When Ash looked around, only Pikachu remained. The roof was leaking like crazy, and Totodile had put out the fire.

"I am in _big_ trouble,"

~o~o~o~o~

**_If you're looking for danger – here I come_**

**_You better look out, it's just begun_**

**_There's something that I need you to know…_**

~o~o~o~o~

"_Yume no tsubomi wa…__  
__Tsubomi no mamadakedo…  
Sukoshi zutsu fukurande kiteru...  
Sonna ki ga suru yo…_" [AN- "Raibaru"! ^_^]

Ash was bored. It was only 8:30, according to Dexter. It was _still_ raining, Onix was _still_ blocking the doorway and showing no signs of life apart from the occasional rumbling snore, and after looking out of the window for the one-millionth time, there was _still_ no chance of either Misty nor Brock coming back.

Great.

Pikachu wasn't exactly being much company. After cleaning, um, herself, scratching her ears and eating an apple, she was curled up under her blanket tightly, eyes closed and making an adorable noise that was somewhere between a snore and a sigh. 

No one went to bed at 8:30! It just wasn't done! Trainers went to bed as late as possible and were up with the sun! Ash hadn't been to bed at 8:30 since he was-was, well, very little! Ash had always been stubborn and refused to go to bed until _Battle Robot Kabigon_ was over. And _then_ he took half an hour to do his teeth, _then_ he had to find his Charmander teddy, _then_ he had to be tucked in, then ten minutes later, he and Smoky the Charmander would go downstairs and drink out of whatever carton was in the fridge, then he went back to bed. _Snake IV - Pokédex Version_ had lost its fun hours ago, Pikachu had gone to sleep, and Chikorita was with Misty. So now Ash was attempting to entertain himself by singing. The key word was _trying_, as Ash found it impossible to sing anything in tune (A.N – Unlink Satoshi, who has a brill singing voice. Listen to "Minna De Arukou"!).

It was still raining, he realised. He cast his dark brown eyes over to the nearest broken window and watched the rain pelting down onto Onix's snoring form, and instinctively rubbed his shoulder. Charging blindly at a VERY big, VERY heavy, Rock-type Pokémon wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do twenty times in a row.

"I'm bored," he muttered, matter-of-factly, to anyone or thing that would listen, and pulled his jacket around himself more closely. He refused to get into his sleeping bag. It wasn't even 9:00 yet. Okay, so it was 8:33 now, thank you Dexter, and in two hours, Ash had done everything in his power not to think about those… _traitors_ he called friends. Ash had beaten the highest score possible on _Snake IV_, eaten a crushed, month-old Kit Kat he found at the bottom of his backpack, re-written his name and address on the ID Label on his bag's front panel, re-organised his spare clothes (three t-shirts, pair of shorts, spare jeans, multiple socks and, of course, multiple pairs of you-know-what's) and sent a text message via Dexter to Richie to find out how he was doing and where he was. Now he had resorted to singing and picking bobbles off his socks, while thinking of the next mind-numbing thing to do.

_Maybe I should explore this dump_, he thought idly. Sure, the place was a total death trap, and he didn't know _why_ Brock had suggested they camp there in the first place and he didn't get _why_ they'd just **left** him here. On his own. Alone. 

Ash shuddered.

~o~o~o~o~

**_The one thing that I'm scared of_**

**_Is losing hold of you!_**

**_I get the shivers down my spine,_**

**_Feel my body turning blue (so blue)_**

**_The feeling is so frightening_**

**_It's driving me insane_**

**_The one thing that I'm scared of…_**

**_Is losing hold of you!_**

~o~o~o~o~

Very gently, Ash placed one foot on the bottom step, about to scale the staircase that must have been magnificent in it's heyday but now resembled a holiday resort for termites. It creaked in protest as he gingerly pushed his weight down, and hopped nimbly onto the next step. "This place is worse than a dump," he grumbled, as he eased himself up another step, and another, "This is-is, um… What's worse than a dump!?" 

The house seemed to creak in indignation, and Ash felt just that little bit more… _I'm NOT scared. I'm NOT!_

He turned to the nearest, staring, rotting portrait. "Oh, shut up," he pouted, and glared right back at the picture of the ancient old man, who's eyes, by some freaky coincidence, were focused right on Ash. "Shut up! And quit glaring at me. I'm a Pokémon Master of the Orange League – you can't scare me!" Turning on his heel, Ash crept as angrily as he dared down the landing.

Haunter laughed silently, as he phased through the painting. That was his old Ash, alright. Stubborn as a Tauros and as curious as a Persian. He beckoned for Gastly, Gengar and another Gastly who for some reason knew Ash as well to follow him. This would be FUN!

Still trying to satiate his innate Trainer's need for exploring, Ash poked his head around every doorway, looked at every picture and sidestepped holes in the floor and dodged fallen roofing. "Tracey would _love_ this place," murmured Ash, as he noticed yet another splendid painting, this time of an old lady who scarily resembled Professor Oak in drag, with an overly fluffy, white Meowth with a bow in it's hair. Ash glowered. "What IS it with you guys? Quit staring at me!" he yelled, and kept walking. Gastly 1 (from Maiden's Peak) rearranged himself, and the painting disappeared, leaving the dark ball of spirit floating in the limited illumination coming from the moon above. Sending a psychic message to the Lavender gang, he chuckled to himself and followed poor, unsuspecting Ash, down to where the _fun_ was.

Ash finally reached the last room he could enter without killing himself, and his jaw dropped. It was so _cool!_ The previous owner must have been a Pokémon Master – the amount of trophies and medals strewn, forgotten, around the room were uncountable! Silver and gold glinted at him with light streaming softly in through another hole in the roof, and Ash was lost for words. Even the Viridian Museum didn't have as many as _this_, and that place had the 'biggest display of Pokémon League memorabilia in the world!'. This place had Orange League, Indigo League, Johto League, Star League, Ocean League, Master League, Crystal League, Blaze League, Souja League, Jurai League, Okayama League – Leagues that for the most part, Ash didn't even know about and Leagues that didn't even exist any more. Ash remembered being told about what happened that day in Jurai, when they said a _demon_ blew the stadium up on the closing day of the tournament…

This place was a goldmine! The question now was, should I leave them here, where anyone could steal them or destroy them, or should I act as a 'responsible citizen' and take them with me? Heh heh heh… Of course, Ash would _never_ be so irresponsible…

Ash reached for the nearest one. Made well before people could make gold-plated anything, it was _very_ heavy and very _valuable_. An old Ocean League trophy, it had beautiful inscriptions and engravings of the first few Water Pokémon to be discovered, as well as a huge bird, _Lugia_, Ash's memory informed him, and a smaller bird, _Articuno_, preening each other. "Wow…" he breathed. His Orange League trophy was _nothing_ compared to _this!_ He trailed a finger across the delicate lines of engraving, depicting a Staryu leaping out of water. "Misty would love this," murmured Ash, before wondering why he was even thinking about her. He wasn't TALKING to her. Not until she admitted that she was a baby for being afraid of a _BUG_.

Haunter chuckled silently. Just like old times! Ash was completely alone, vulnerable, pissed off, and crushing like a Chikorita on heat. 

Perfect! 

He nodded to Gastly 2 to start the fun…

~o~o~o~o~

**_(I could have sworn I heard screaming…)_**

~o~o~o~o~

Ash shivered slightly as he re-traced his steps to get his backpack and sleeping bag and drag them upstairs. The 'house' was freezing and dripping and smelly and creepy. But on the _other_ hand, it had practically a bazillion yen worth of stuff here! Sleeping without his bag for one night wouldn't kill him!

Haunter grinned as Gastly 2 put phase one into action. Ash was tying his shoelaces, which for some reason had come undone, leaving his backpack unattended. Ghost Pokémon have this weird, but fun, ability to form their gaseous bodies into _anything_. Floating across, leaving small traces of ozone in his wake, Gastly went right behind Ash, formed a rather large boot out of spirit and…

Ash yelped and fell flat on his face, bruising the bridge of his nose. Now he was down, Haunter moved quickly, grabbed Ash's bag, and flung it to the other side of the room, while Gastly 1 waited patiently behind Ash for him to turn around, re-arranging his body to form that of a skeleton. Giggling silently, Gengar whizzed around the room, where old, dead candles remained, unused, and still slightly warm from where Ash had tried to light them and burnt his fingers, and lit them with huge, shimmering flames that warmed the air and allowed Ash to be able to see more than three feet in front of his face.

"Owww," he mumbled, rubbing his hand over his nose, and wiping cautiously underneath to see if it was bleeding, "How'd that happen?" Shakily, Ash got to his feet, and dusted himself off, checking for bruises out of habit. He looked to his side for the now-on-the-other-side-of-the-room backpack, and blinked, surprised, when it, um, wasn't there. "Hey!" he yelled to the air, "Where'd my bag go?!" He scanned the air in front of him and paused when he _finally_ realised that… candles were lit. Ash was never the quick one. In fact, he was _still_ puzzling over how Misty solved those riddles Blaine set them on Cinnabar… two years ago. Argh.

Straightening himself up, and preparing to turn around and look for his bag, Ash scratched his head out of nervousness. How HAD the candles been lit? They were years old and had practically no wick left, which was why Ash had burnt the tips of his fingers in futile earlier attempts. There was just no way they could be lit, and Pikachu was still asleep – he could hear her soft, quiet snores from the other side of the room. Cyndaquil was with Misty… how in Myuu's name could they be lit?!

Ash suddenly froze, when _something_ touched the back of his neck. It was cold and airy and sc- He shook off that last trail of thought. Ash Ketchum did **not** get scared! Ever! He was a Pokémon Trainer – REAL Pokémon Trainers did NOT get scared! Unlike Misty, who screamed whenever she saw a bug, and retched and went off her food for three days when Brock accidentally put carrots in with the stew he made, or when she ate a taco that had peppers in. _She_ was a fraidy-Meowth, NOT him. But even though it was really, _really_ funny when she fainted when Ash caught his brand-new Ledyba, now in the custody of Professor Oak and Tracey back home, Ash always felt just a little bit mean when he teased her afterwards. It was the same when he caught Caterpie-cum-Metapod-cum-Butterfree. And Heracross, who, later that night, had become, um, 'attracted' to Misty's soap, and attached himself to her leg. There was also this weird, conflicting emotion, that, even though he teased her relentlessly afterwards, he always had to play the hero for her. Sort of like being a bodyguard, like in that gross, sickeningly romantic movie that his mom loved and cried over and tried to impersonate whoever that woman was with the high voice singing the theme tune- He was rambling on again. But it _was_ true! And, truth be told, most of his battles and Pokémon _came_ from protecting her, or just generally being with her. Squirtle came along, even though he threatened to kill her. Ledyba did, because she weakened it by chucking the biggest rock she could find at it and yelling "GET AWAY!". Haunter came along to Saffron because Ash "was funny when he made her fly". He _battled_ her for Totodile…

Well, his bag wasn't _up_ the stairs, or by his side… Ash swung around, took a step down, and froze. A HUGE skeleton, dressed in a black cape, boots, a pipe hanging from his… lips? Teeth? Mwaaaaa! And a monocle hanging elegantly from his left eye. Eyes wide, jaw slack, back tensed, Ash took a cautious step backwards. He blinked, rubbing his eyes frantically.

"Oh my God, I'm going crazy…" he murmured, though how his voice got through past the levels of dryness in his throat was beyond him.

"Excuse me," the _thing_ spoke, ever so elegantly, with a slight lisp in his breathy voice, "Would you happen to know where I keep," The voice turned menacing and DAMN scary, "my _CRYPT_?! MWA-HA-HA!!"

Ash screamed.

~o~o~o~o~

**_Because you're always there…_**

**_To let me know…_**

**_Sometimes we all get scared_**

**_I'm telling you I can't let you go, oh…_**

~o~o~o~o~

Gengar slapped Haunter a high-four, as Gastly 1 had transformed himself into a Vampire, and while Gastly 2 (who was finding his human form more awkward than at Maiden's Peak) chased poor Ash down one side of the house, Vampire-Gastly, with fake-blood (supplied by the joke shop in Goldenrod, although _they_ didn't know that. Ah, Hypnosis Attack is brilliant…) was lying in wait at the end of the only passageway Ash could escape from. Pikachu was now awake, but hadn't got the faintest idea what was going on, as Haunter and Gengar masked their spirit forms to render themselves invisible, and both Gastly were lying in wait in a hallway. So, even though Pikapi was screaming prayers and "I want my mom!" loud enough to wake the dead, Pikachu curled back up under her blanket and went back to sleep. Pikapi could take care of himself. What's the worst that could happen? He was only kidding around anyway. There was no-one there except him and her.

But Pikachu didn't know that Haunter, Vampire-Gastly and Gengar had… a hidden agenda, of sorts. Ash had been the most fun human to play with, ever! They even let him into their playroom – a real honour, for a human ghost. But, like all humans, Ash only seemed to care about himself, and wanted to be a Pokémon Master. Well, now he was. So now he could play again! They could let him fly again and play all sorts of neat tricks on his girlfriend, and he could play on their swings again.

Of course, the _hard_ part of getting Ash to play with them was to hit him really, _really_ hard, so that the soul was momentarily shaken from its tight grasp on the body, then Haunter could slide the two apart easily.

And as for the scaring-out-of-his-mind? Who on Earth made up that crap of not mixing business with pleasure? ^_~

Ash put on a full sprint down the hallway. That skeleton – okay. He wasn't afraid to admit it now. He was scared and – "I WANT MY MOM!" he screamed, racing faster as he heard that _thing_ laugh again.

A left, a right, straight ahead. Now it was just a straight run down to the room he'd been sleeping in. Good. Then he'd pick up that good-for-nothing rat of a Pikachu by her tail and throw himself out of the window, regardless of how badly he'd hurt himself. Now he could see Onix's grey weight, he put on an extra spurt and ran faster, until…

"I want to suck your blood…"

Ash screeched to a halt, whimpered and slowly raised his head up to the ceiling, where Vampire-Gastly was staring down at him, with pale skin, black hair styled almost _exactly_ like in the movies, and a huge black cape, with a blood-red lining. Of course, no vampire is complete without the obligatory blood trickling down his chin. Gastly bared his fangs, as they just _dropped_ and rested on the tuft of his chin, and thick crimson oozed down, dripping onto the ground at Ash's feet.

Gastly flipped elegantly and landed upright in front of Ash, who whined softly and high-pitched, taking a step back, then bumping into the hard, brittle ribs of Skeleton-Gastly. Too afraid even to scream now, Ash covered his mouth with a trembling hand, when his mind reached the sudden realisation. This was it. Ash Ketchum, Orange League Master, and overall _brilliant_ (though he did say so himself!) Pokémon Trainer was going to die like in the comic books, eaten alive by a skeleton and a vampire. It wasn't fair! Now he'd never humiliate Gary in that re-match, or beat Richie in another Pokémon match, or whoop the Elite 4, or have a proper girlfriend (who wasn't Gary's sister, or a violent second-grader who put worms in his pants), or get married and have kids and-

"Tell me now…" Skeleton-Gastly murmured into Ash's ear, with a dead rush of air that made every hair on Ash's body stand on end, and Vampire-Gastly grinned viciously when he saw the little colour that was left in Ash's face quickly leave in retreat.

Vampire-Gastly leaned dangerously close to Ash's face, brushing his cheek against Ash's.

"Do you know the _real_ meaning of… _fast food_?" Grinning wickedly, he bared his teeth.

Skeleton-Gastly caught the 14-year-old as his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

~o~o~o~o~

**_The one thing that I'm scared of_**

**_Is losing hold of you!_**

**_I get the shivers down my spine,_**

**_Feel my body turning blue_**

**_The feeling is so frightening_**

**_It's driving me insane_**

**_The one thing that I'm scared of…_**

~o~o~o~o~

"Pikapi! Pikapika! Chaaaa!" 

The first thing Ash was next aware of was Pikachu, sounding really distressed and upset. Scrunching his nose up cutely, he opened his eyes and was instantly aware of this… _weird_ feeling that he was… floating…He shook his head and rubbed his eyes with a yawn, then winced. His head was killing him. Attack of the migraine from hell. And Brock, paternally, had control over the aspirin he always had to buy from whenever Misty was either PMS-ing or just being a bitch with her mallet.

Why did he feel all floaty? The last time he felt like this was when Chikorita was over-excited, on heat, and used Sweet-Scent a little bit _too_ much. The rest of the night ended up as karaoke, and Brock trying to strip in front of the Azalea Town Nurse Joy while Team Rocket (who had made an unlucky entrance) sang "Hot Stuff"... Pikachu later told him that Brock got arrested (again) for indecent exposure and tried to kiss the Jenny, and he and Misty were "this close" to making out. Damn you, Pikachu!

"Chuuuu… Pikapi… PikaPI…"

Was Pikachu… crying?! Pikachu _never_ cried! The only time Pikachu had cried was when she ran back to him that time in the forest, and _he_ was crying too! Where _was_ Pikachu, anyway? And why did he feel like he was on morphine?

"Pikachu?" he asked, then clamped his hand over his mouth. His voice _echoed_! His voice shouldn't _echo_! He looked around cautiously, and shrieked when his face almost collided with the rusted chandelier that shouldn't be anywhere near Ash. Especially since this place had really high ceilings… Why was he feeling déjà vu? 

"Haunter!"

Ash screamed again, but it wasn't how he normally did it. He just sounded… hollow. Like he was there, but he wasn't there. Of course, typically dense Ash didn't notice that his entire body and clothes were now a transparent grey, did he?

"Pika-CHUUUU! CHUUUU! CHUUUUUU!" The whole room exploded with light, as Ash recognised Pikachu's battle cry whenever she used an attack. "CHUUUUUUUU!" He swung around, not understanding how he could with his obviously screwed-up balance, what with him thinking he was floating, and saw her. Saw her Thunder shocking a horrifyingly still form.

"PIKAPI! CHUUUUUUUU!"

The neon light quickly died as Pikachu gasped for breath, sparking her cheeks in preparation for her next attack, and Ash practically fainted again. She was crying into someone. It was _him_. Lying spread-eagled on the floor, a huge bump on his head under his fringe, and looking far too pale to be asleep.

"Oh my God… That can't be… there's just no way, I… I can't be-" In a frantic effort of self-proof, Ash waved his hands frantically in front of his face. Candles glistened through his skin. "Noooo…" he moaned, trying to run up to Pikachu and his… corpse… and somehow force himself back in, before it was too late. "I can't be-"

"Dead?"

"Mwaaaaaa!"

The former Vampire-Gastly chuckled, bobbing on an imaginary string that looked as if it would snap any minute. "Don't be silly. You aren't dead. Yet," He paused, and Haunter stuck his head out of a dimensional pocket and grinned, sticking his tongue out at his former Trainer. Former Skeleton-Gastly appeared next, and then Gengar, trying to conceal a huge mallet behind his back. "However," Gastly continued, "we need to talk to you,"

Ash glowered at the four Ghost Pokémon, "You could have just said '_hello'_! You didn't have to kill me! What am I supposed to do with Pikachu?" He pointed an arm down to the now-sobbing mouse, "She's damn well crying!"

Gengar looked more ashamed than the other Pokémon, and threw the mallet back into a dimensional pocket. Ash slowly, disbelievingly, approached _himself_ and Pikachu. Pikachu was heaving with tears and his t-shirt was now soaked with the result, his cap was lying halfway across the room, his jacket was singed with the result of Pikachu's frightened Thundershocks, and he was completely still. He wasn't even breathing, which frightened Ash. If he wasn't breathing, how could he get back? "Hey! You said I wasn't dead!" he shouted at Haunter, who winced.

"You aren't," one of the Gastly replied, "Don't worry, we know what we're doing. We HAVE done this before."

"Don't remind me," Ash grumbled bitterly, trying to pet Pikachu but failing dismally, as his hand simply slipped through her warm fur, and made her shiver, making Ash feel even worse than before. "Pikachu…" Her ears twitched, and for a moment, Ash thought she'd actually heard him. He turned back on thin air to face the four Pokémon. "Alright, what do you want?" 

Gastly, formerly Vampire, still sticky with fake blood, cleared his throat softly, and said, "Remember three years ago? In Lavender Town, yes? And we played all those games? You said that once you were a Pokémon Master, you'd come back to play with us."

"I did?"

Haunter nodded sagely. "And you ARE a Pokémon Master,"

"So… waitaminute, you've came here to get my _ghost_?!" Ash shrilled, eyes wide.

All four Pokémon nodded with a sombreness that unnerved Ash to the point where he panicked, took one step backwards, trod on his rapidly-cooling body, shrieked, and got a mallet to the head, courtesy of Gengar. "Ow! Quit hitting me! You guys have done enough damage! I wanna go home!" he wailed, sinking to his knees as a result of tears and a ghostly concussion.

Haunter's eyes dulled, and a sickening feeling lay heavy on his chest.

Guilt.

Hooray!

He watched the pitiful scene of Ash trying to force his hand back into it's original confines, and crying harder when he just phased straight through, and when his tears got louder, Pikachu pricked her ear up, said "Pikapi?" then started crying again when she realised that her Pikapi was really gone, and she didn't have the guts to leave him alone and get help.

Mentally, he signalled to the others to talk.

~o~o~o~o~

**_The one thing that I'm scared of_**

**_Is losing hold of you!_**

**_I get the shivers down my spine,_**

**_Feel my body turning blue (so blue)_**

**_The feeling is so frightening_**

**_It's driving me insane_**

**_The one thing that I'm scared of…_**

~o~o~o~o~

Ash had never felt more helpless in all his years of life. Pikachu was just… _crying_ and it killed him that he couldn't do _anything_ to help her; calm her down; do _anything_ except his futile attempt at stroking her behind the ears and saying soothing words that he knew she couldn't hear but he said them anyway, uselessly. Pikachu's sob-wracked cries of "Pikapi" were enough to wrench his heart right out of his chest. And all because of what? A few ghost Pokémon wanted their playmate back? This just wasn't _fair_! He didn't _want_ to be a ghost! Sure, it was fun for all of an hour in Lavender Town, but he hadn't exactly been dying to try it again! In fact, he'd actively been _avoiding_ it, apart from his kamikaze mission on Shamouti, which wasn't exactly his fault. And now, _just_ when he was halfway to the Johto League and finally kicking Gary's ass, he _dies_! Jeez, everyone seemed to have it in for him! All four ghosts were now talking, and shooting pointed glances at him, before laughing, then returning to their sombre conversation again. Mwa, why were they taking so long?! He wiped away ghostly, icy tears that were freezing onto his airy figure, and tried to keep one eye on Pikachu, and the other on the four Pokémon, who were now arguing.

He wanted to go back. This wasn't _fair_! When he said he'd play with them again, he meant when he _died_! As in of old age! Not via mallet – he came close enough to that being around Misty, so the last thing he needed to die of was a Gengar's mallet!

What were they talking about, anyway? And- hey, hey, waitaminute – where did Gastly go? And-and Haunter?! They'd just vanished- they weren't going to just _leave_ him here, were they?!?! Oh no, they couldn't! They said he wasn't dead, they said he wasn't, and he _wouldn't_ die… would he? Oh… dear… Myuu…

"Something wrong?"

"Mwaaaaaa!" Ash yelled at the fright, swung around airily and came face-to-face with Haunter. "Mwaaaaa! Man, you guys gotta quit doing that to me! You'll give me a heart attack!" Haunter's look clearly read 'how can we give you a heart attack when you're dead?' "Okay, okay, what were you guys talking about? Can I go back? Please?" Haunter's severe face gave Ash a chill up his spine. "What… you-you guys aren't gonna keep me here… are you? I won't stay! I mean it! And I won't play either! Just lemme go!"

Gastly frowned. "And here we thought you'd want to play with us again." He sighed, a white anime-cloud forming in the air. "Oh well… yes, we'll send you back." Ash grinned, relieved. Until Gastly continued talking. "_On_ _one_ _condition_…"

Ash was grinning as the wind and rain simply flew through him, and Gastly and Haunter led the way, with Gengar, Pikachu and Gastly tailing the rear. He really should have guessed this was coming. Dodging weightlessly through trees and hedges, Haunter pointed to where Misty and Brock were camping under the shelter of a very heavy tree and a few bushes. 

"Make her fly!" he projected, and Ash grinned wickedly as his eyes scanned the campsite. Brock was poking a marshmallow into the dying embers of the fire, and Misty was feeding the Demon a rice ball. Chuckling silently, he crept over to her, feet phasing straight through twigs, so she didn't even suspect anything, looped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You want to go for a ride, fraidy-cat?" before dragging her above the trees, screaming, with the Egg trilling evilly in her arms. Haunter laughed invisibly, before chucking a bowl of popcorn to Gengar, Pikachu and Gastly1+2, who were now in hysterics over the way Brock was trying to jump and catch her. She was shrieking to Brock to get her down and flailing her arms and legs wildly, and Ash was laughing hysterically, but none of the humans could hear him. 

"C'mon, fraidy-cat, where's your sense of adventure?" Ash grinned, before turning a somersault in midair, and laughing when he heard Misty screaming louder. He pulled her higher, before yelling, "Hey Brock! See if you can catch her this time too!" and let her drop. Brock dived clumsily, missed, landed on the floor, and grunted in pain when Misty landed on his back. Ash burst out laughing again. "Pathetic! And you were in Little League?! No way!" he yelled, as Pikachu flew herself over to him, using her tail as a sail and landed on his hat. He yelled a battle cry before diving down, grabbing Togepi and taking the little brat higher. Misty leapt to her feet and yelled "Togepi! Get down here this minute!", before making a grab for her Pokéballs, one which Ash identified as Staryu, and Ash winced. Staryu could get _very_ vicious, _very_ fast. Guess that's why they say "Like Pokémon, Like Trainer" ne?

"Okay, Togepi! Go back to your mommy now!" Ash teased, before dropping the screaming little bastard down to Misty, but neglecting to see Staryu whizzing towards where he should be and Togepi was plummeting to the ground, and getting shredded to pieces by copper spikes, and Ash cringed when he heard Misty scream "Togepi!" before crying to Brock, "What am I gonna do without Togepi?".

"Have an omelette?"

"IT'S NOT FUNNY! MY BABY'S JUST BEEN SCRAMBLED!"

Brock couldn't speak for hysterics until a well-aimed foot caught him in a _very_ painful place.

Ash yelled "Sorry, Misty!" before Haunter dragged him in the direction of Gengar's latest portal that led back to their playroom in Lavender Town.

Gentle shades of amber began to infiltrate the house, shining past Onix's snoring form and glinting off of the old wooden floor, and onto one of the old portraits that still hung on the walls. The rusted chandelier on the ceiling shone slightly from the silver that had escaped tarnish, and Ash's ethereal form was illuminated slightly in the dawn.

"I guess… this is sarabada, huh guys?" Ash murmured sheepishly, watching Pikachu try to hug the obscene amount of ketchup bottles Gengar had 'acquired' for her under highly suspicious circumstances, and she simply phased right through. She turned angrily to Haunter and growled something; Haunter laughed, then floated down to her level, lifted her by her ears and laid her gently on her own body. A brief moment later, Pikachu's black nose twitched, and she opened amber eyes to gaze at her beloved condiment.

"It's not sarabada, Ash" Gastly said softly, "More of, 'I'll see you again in about, oh, seventy years or so'." Gengar grinned, nodded and waved his mallet in the air again.

"Yeah, um, see you when I die," Ash grinned, before realising how sicko that sounded. _I'll see you when I die? Gee, healthy thought, Ash!_ he told himself sternly. Gastly frowned, looking out of the window. 

"You have to go now," he murmured softly, "Your friends are coming."

"They are? Um, okay, um… waitasecond, Misty's gonna kill me because of what I did to Togepi! Mwaaaaa!" he shrieked, panicking, because he knew _exactly_ what she was capable of when someone threatened the Egg.

Haunter grinned, "Actually, she seems to have a lot more energy in her today. I think she was the victim of a leech."

"Um… what's a leech?"

Haunter's face darkened. "A leech is the Ghost Pokémon's biggest enemy. We've dedicated our lives to destroying them. They feed from the energy of human being and Pokémon Trainers by inhabiting the body of another Pokémon. Your girlfriend was lucky."

"Ohhh… Hey! Whaddya mean 'my girlfriend'?! Misty is NOT my girlfriend – she's a whiny crybaby who's afraid of everything! What's so funny?!" he added, noticing that all four ghosts were now in hysterical laughter.

"You're a funny kid," Gengar smiled, "but we're not stupid. Go make out already!" he yelled, as Haunter gripped Ash gently by the hat and lowered him into his body. Ash smiled.

"I'll see you guys around, ne?"

The four Pokémon nodded, before they vanished in a flash of light, and Ash opened his eyes and was happy to see that his clothes were their normal colour instead of greyish variations. He stood up, stretched his arms and legs before looking around to the door where Brock had just re-called Onix. "Hey guys!" he called, grinned and walking over to the door, "Sleep well?" He called Pikachu onto his shoulder and motioned them to follow him up the staircase. "You'll never guess what _I_ found last night!"

~o~o~o~o~

**_The one thing that I'm scared of_**

**_Is losing hold of you!_**

**_(I can feel it in the air…)_**

**_I get the shivers down my spine,_**

**_Feel my body turning blue _**

**_(I can feel it going around…)_**

**_The feeling is so frightening_**

**_It's driving me insane_**

**_The one thing that I'm scared of…_**

~o~o~o~o~

Officer Jenny patted Ash condescendingly on the head and politely chose to ignore the various chat-up lines Brock was reeling off in her direction. "All those Pokémon League things you found are going straight to the Viridian Museum, Ash," she told him, and Ash frowned slightly. He was hoping to have been able to keep at least _one_ of them: he was the one who found them! But, still… It was better than just leaving them there – for all he knew, Team Rocket could have come and stolen them tonight! Officer Jenny kept asking more questions, then finally, she buggered off in the direction of the previous city.

"Soooo…" Ash drawled, putting his arms up behind his head and wincing slightly when he got a static shock from Pikachu's tail, "How far to the next city?"

"About another fifteen miles. We should be there by tomorrow if we keep pace," Brock replied, although he seemed… distant, and Misty was more than quiet, for once.

Ash turned around and began to walk backwards, "Something wrong, guys? You seem really quiet!"

Brock frowned, "Something really weird happened last night… I don't think you'd believe it if we told you."

"Try me," he asked, good-naturedly, although inwardly he was grinning like a loon. "Hey, Mist', where's Togepi?" Misty blinked slightly, then frowned slightly.

"I… I don't know…" she muttered, pulling her red duffle bag over her shoulder and looking inside for any sign of the Egg-Demon. "I dunno… Oh well…" She smiled and swung her bag onto her shoulder again, "No biggie."

Ash's eyes widened. Togepi being missing was _'no biggie'_?! Haunter was right – it WAS a leech! "Okay… whatever you say, Misty. What happened to you guys last night – you look as if you had a worse night than me and _I_ was in the spook-house!"

"Um… We… we were sorta… you won't believe this, but… Ghosts sorta attacked us. We think, anyway. Or some psychic Pokémon. Either way, Misty was floating." Ash burst out laughing falsely.

"Floating? Oh, come ON! You guys have watched _way_ too many horror flicks!" He laughed and strode on ahead, before turning back around. "Hey Misty, is that a bug next to you?"

Misty screamed, first because of the supposed bug, and second, because he was charging a _very_ nervous Ash, armed with her special edition mallet, complete with spikes.

"Baka!" she yelled, swinging the evil weapon of torture at him again and again until Ash played dead on the floor and she walked over him, pressing all her weight into his back and making him yelp.

Brock sighed, suddenly feeling very jaded with everything, and followed behind the hormonal, crushing teens with a sigh.

Unbeknownst to him, he was also being followed, by four Ghost Pokémon, who knew _exactly_ where to find their fun.

~o~o~o~o~

**_ _**

**_The one thing that I'm scared of is losing hold of you!_**

**_ _**

~o~o~o~o~

_~ Owari ~___

^_^

~o~o~o~o~o~O~O~O~O~O~o~o~o~o~o~

Alright. Sucked, didn't it? :: grins :: Even though it killed me…

Couple of notes: I've been writing this since the end of May, and a few others have put fics involving ghostyness up. I didn't copy off them. I swear on Sparkles's life that this has been rotting on my hard drive for about two weeks, until my modem buggered and I found a _lot_ of extra time. 

Oh, final note. Fic is dedicated to Rach. I'd write her a fic about Brian (who is SO going to win Big Brother!), but I can't think of one at the moment.

Love yas all and hopes you all have a very bubbly summer!

~[][1]Chuchi-chan

** **

**_[][2]"Kenji-chan! Getto daze!!"_**__

Ja-----!

Love yas, bubble-minnachan!!

PS: I SAW POKÉMON 3! IT'S SOOOOOOO GOOD! ^_^ Molly is very sweet! And Entei is well cool! ("Papa…? If that is what you wish…" BLESS!) But they cut out the shippy parts! Jeez, when will 4KIDS make up their minds? They have one movie full of it, then a movie with none at all! But even so, wasn't Ash dead cute, when he was action-hero? It was so cute when he kept yelling "She's my _mother!_" all the time at Entei… ^_^ Bless li'l Sato-chan and his cotton socks!

   [1]: mailto:%20chuchino5@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.virtue.nu/cabbitgirl/kenjiness.htm



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